TEACHERS TOLD FUNDS MAKE DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION

When it comes to quality public education, money makes a difference, said teachers and the keynote speaker at the district teachers meeting Friday.

And, the teachers said, legislators are venturing into the arena of educational reform but haven't solved the problem ordered by the court: equalizing state funding.

About 2,000 educators from Southeast Missouri attended the 117th annual district teachers meeting of the Missouri State Teachers Association here Friday.

"We feel we're being handed money with one hand and it's being taken away with the other hand," said Veronica Hambacker of Viburnum, who is president of the Missouri State Teachers Association.

Keynote speaker was journalist and advocate of public education, Forrest J. "Frosty" Troy. His home state of Oklahoma is one of six states that has totally restructured education. It took $1.1 billion to make that plan work, and voters approved the tax increase.

The money, for example, makes it a violation of state law to have more than 13 students in a kindergarten class.

"We've proven that money does work," Troy said. "We are in a capitalistic society, and quite frankly it is money that makes a difference."

Troy said the United States now ranks 14 among nations in what it spends on education.

"One-third of high school students take chemistry, but have no laboratories," he said.

Creating a program that works, Troy said, isn't easy. "It's painful. Rich districts don't want to give up anything," he said. "Really small districts have to face consolidation."

In Oklahoma, a program was started to help displaced homemakers find jobs through vocational education. "In 36 months, we helped 8,800 women off welfare rolls."

"Every kid isn't meant to go to college. You have got to get that through your heads. God gives kids different gifts. All we owe them is an education in that gift."

He said 30 percent of Japanese kids are enrolled in vocational classes and 70 percent of German students are involved in apprenticeship programs.

"The bottom line is, taking care of yourself requires a marketable skill," Troy said. "You better be good at something."

"Our kids are smarter today than ever before. States are mandating education. A jillion kids are going down and taking the SAT and the ACT, kids who never would have thought of taking the test in the past."